Licensed since 1984, San Diego real estate broker Gary Kent is a recognized authority on real estate. In addition to selling over 5,500 homes for clients, he has been an expert court witness, trainer of other agents, and he does seminars on home buying, home selling, and investing. Gary has sold homes for The Salvation Army, dozens of major banks, and Fannie Mae, amongst others. You can find Gary on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Fix & Flip Investing Is Harder Than It Looks

Question: “I was intrigued by your article last week on fix and flip investors. I have some extra cash and was thinking about getting into that. How hard is it to do?” Answer: VERY hard. Most flippers work crazy long hours, 6-7 days a week. They have to be available to move quickly when the
Read more
No Comments

Do Fix & Flip Investors Only Make Low Offers?

Question: “Last week you talked about selling to a fix and flip investor. But don’t they only buy if they get a really low price for a house?” Answer: Not necessarily. I can speak from experience, having sold dozens of homes where we had offers from investors and from owner-occupant buyers. Many fix/flip cash investors
Read more
No Comments

3 Reasons Home Valuations Sites Don’t Work

Question: “We’re interested in a house and checked what value Zillow shows for it. They have $517,000, but the home has been listed at $449,000 for a few weeks. So obviously it’s not worth $517,000. Why do you think Zillow is so bad?” Answer: I can think of at least three likely reasons that ALL
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Abraj al-Bait

This week’s crazy building is Abraj al-Bait in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Also called the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, the building holds multiple world records. At nearly 1,972 feet, it’s the third tallest building in the world and the tallest clock tower on earth. It also has the largest clock faces—all four are 141 feet across,
Read more
No Comments

Can I Do a 1031 Exchange on My Vacation Condo?

Question: “Can I do a 1031 exchange on my vacation condo?” Answer: I talked with a 1031 expert said about doing an exchange with a vacation property. Here’s what she said: A second home that is not reported on Schedule E and the interest is written off against your personal income does not qualify for a
Read more
No Comments

Choosing the Right Offer When Selling a Fixer-Upper

Question: “I inherited a fixer-upper house in L.A. We put it on the market yesterday and today we already have 6 offers. Is that normal?” Answer: There is a strong demand for fixer-uppers right now by “fix and flip” groups. So when selling a fixer upper, the trick isn’t so much getting offers, it’s choosing
Read more
No Comments

Is Your San Diego Home Overpriced?

Question: “I’d like to move closer to my mother. There’s a home directly behind hers that’s been on the market for about a year and they haven’t reduced the price. Do you think it’s over-priced?” Answer: If a home is priced right, even the most pathetic, good-for-nothing, lay-about real estate agent will find a way
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Casa Batlló

Casa Batlló by Keith Roper licensed under the terms of CC BY 2.0
This week’s crazy building is Casa Batlló in Barcelona, Spain. Remodeled in 1904 by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí, this unusual structure is nicknamed the “House of Bones” due to its organic and skeleton-like appearance. There are a plethora of architectural oddities packed into this building, including large oval windows, a facade decorated with multicolored
Read more
No Comments

Selling to a Cash Investor vs. a Family

Question: [From a client whose home I had for sale] “I know I should go with the cash investor and quick closing, but my heart is telling me to sell to the other buyer who offered the same amount. I’d really love to see a family living in my home. And they said they’re okay
Read more
No Comments

How Agents Price Your San Diego Home So Fast

Question: “I interviewed an agent to list my house. She walked through for a few minutes and told me what price we could get. It surprised me that she gave me a value that quickly after just seeing my house for 10 minutes. It didn’t seem like she did any homework. Is that normal?” Answer:
Read more
No Comments